The limo pulls up to Julie’s condo, and neither of us moves to get out. We’ve been kissing like teenagers for the entire ride, only breaking apart when we needed air. The driver clears his throat for the second time.

    “We should go inside,” Julie whispers against my mouth, but her hands are still fisted in my shirt.

    “We should,” I agree, kissing her again.

    When we finally stumble out of the limo and into her ce, the fire between us is scorching. After Harper’s prophecy, after everyone voting that we’re together, after my mother meeting Julie, and my brothers giving their approvals—everything feels different. More real. It’s almost terrifying that I can imagine spending more time with her.

    Julie kicks off her heels and turns to face me. “What are we doing?”

    “I don’t know,” I admit, moving closer. “Do you?”

    “No,” she whispers.

    “We can stop. We can walk away.”

    “That’s not possible.” She takes a step toward me. “Letting you run away from me is thest thing I want, unless you’re having doubts.”

    “No doubts, sweetheart.”

    She searches my face, then decides. “Come upstairs with me.”

    Julie takes my hand, leading me to the top of the stairs and into her bedroom.

    She turns to face me, green eyes sparkling. Her fingers y with the zipper of her Dior dress. Slowly, she unzips it, letting the material fall and pool at her feet.

    My breath catches when I see the lingerie set I bought her. It highlights every gorgeous curve.

    “You’re stunning.” I breathe out. I run my fingers along thece at her hip. “You know exactly what you’re doing to me.”

    “And?” She starts unbuttoning my shirt. “You’re just as guilty.”

    My phone rings, and we freeze.

    “Please make it stop,” she says, capturing my lips.

    I forget what we were even discussing, but my phone keeps vibrating.

    After five missed calls, I pull it out to see Patterson’s name on the screen.

    I answer. “What?”

    “I can’t get into the cabin,” he says.

    “Four-seven-eight-two,” I say, then end the call, turning my phone off.

    Julie pushes my shirt off my shoulders, and it joins her dress on the floor.

    I back her toward the bed andy her down. That’s when her phone starts ringing.

    “Ignore it,” I say, pulling her to the edge, kissing between her thighs.

    But it rings again. And again. And a-fucking-gain.

    Julie groans and sits up.

    She grabs her phone from her dress pocket on the floor. “It’s Autumn.”

    She answers and puts it on speaker. “This’d better be life or death.”

    “Put Nick on,” Zane states.

    “What do you want?” I ask.

    “Patterson’s calling everyone. He’s locked out of your cabin and about to break a window. Deal with it before the cops get called. That’s thest thing any of us needs.”

    “Can’t you?—”

    “No. He’s your hockey friend. I’m sending a car to get you since your Range Rover is here. Be ready in five minutes.”

    The line goes dead.

    Julie flops back on the bed, still in that lingerie, looking like every fantasy I’ve ever had.

    “You have to go, don’t you?” she asks.

    I join her on the bed. “I don’t want to.”

    I ce my hand on her hip, watching her breath catch.

    She pulls me down for a kiss that makes me groan.

    “Do you really have to?” she asks.

    “I want to tell him to sleep outside,” I admit against her lips. “He will break windows though. We don’t need a headline about the billionaire who trashed the rental.”

    “Fine,” she says, twisting her body to push me down onto my back. A momentter, Julie is crawling onto myp and straddling me. I ce my hands behind her back and watch her, grinding against my rock-hard cock. “I want you so bad.”

    “Jules,” I say, barely able to speak.

    The only things keeping us apart are my clothes and her extremely thin panties. A grunt releases from me as her breathing increases. We can’t stop kissing, can’t stop touching, and she keeps going. If Julie keeps this up, she might find her end.

    Right before I think she might lose herself, a car honks outside with two quick beeps.

    “No,” she whispers, defeated. She’s breathing heavy in my ear, her lips swollen.

    “I’m so sorry. I don’t want to leave.”

    “You have to.” She climbs off of me, and when I stand, it’s like I have a damn circus tent in my pants. “Please go, before I beg you to stay.”

    “Look what you do to me.” I bend down to kiss her. “Rain check, I promise.”

    Twenty minutester, I’m at Riverside, letting a very drunk Patterson inside.

    “You’re a lifesaver,” he slurs. “The door hates me. Almost punched my fist through it.”

    “The door’s fine. You were putting in the wrong code, which is why it locked you out for twenty minutes.”

    “Bullshit! Four-eight-seven-two.”

    “No, dumbass, it’s four-seven-eight-two.”

    “Oh.” He crashes on the couch, face down. “Whoops.”

    I move to the window and see if his rental car is outside, but it looks like he had a limo drop him off.

    “Fuck,” I whisper.

    When I turn around, Patterson’s already snoring.

    I go upstairs to the main bedroom and sit on the edge of the mattress.

    Nick

    I had fun today.

    Julie

    I did too.

    Nick

    Patterson’s already passed out. I’m going to bitch him out tomorrow.

    Julie

    He deserves it.

    Nick

    I can’t stop thinking about you in that lingerie.

    Julie

    I’m still wearing it.

    Nick

    Don’t tease me.

    She sends a photo of herself from a side angle. She’s in bed, showing just a hint of ckce against her skin.

    Nick

    You’re ying with fire.

    Julie

    Maybe I want to burn.

    Nick

    Tell me what you’re doing right now.

    Julie

    Lying in bed. Still in the lingerie you bought me. Thinking about your hands on me. Squeezing my thighs together.

    Nick

    I’m so fucking hard, thinking about you.

    Julie

    Show me.

    As I get ready to snap her a picture, my phone rings, and it’s a FaceTime call.

    “Hi,” she says when I answer.

    The screen lights up, her face glowing like an angel, but I know better. She’s no saint. Not tonight. Her lips part, and I can already see the flush creeping up her neck. She’s nervous. Good. I like her timid, unsure, but willing. So damn willing.

    She’s propped up against her pillows, the ckce perfect against her skin. Her nipples poke through the fabric, hard and begging for my mouth. Julie moves the camera lower. Her legs are spread just enough to let me catch a glimpse of her through the sheer fabric that she’s soaked.

    I flip the camera around and show her exactly how much she affects me.

    “God, Nick.” Her breath catches. “This is torture.”

    “Touch yourself,” I say. “Let me see.”

    “Only if you do too.” Her voice is soft. “I’ve never done this before.”

    I smirk, leaning back on the mattress. The sight of her has me throbbing. “I know, sweetheart. That’s why I’m gonna make it good for you. You trust me?”

    “Yes.” She nods, biting her lower lip.

    “Take your panties off for me,” I order, my voice rough, desperate even. “Show me what’s mine.”

    She props her phone up on a pillow, then hooks her fingers into the waistband of her panties, pulling them down her legs and tossing them away. Then she repositions the phone, putting me back between her legs. The sight of her bare, almost breaks me.

    “Good girl.” I growl. “Now, I want you to do exactly what I say. No rushing. Noing until I tell you. Understand?”

    “Yes.” She bites her bottom lip, and I love how eager she is to do this with me.

    Fuck, I can’t wait to ruin her.

    “I’m so turned on,” she whispers, and it’s music to my ears.

    “Touch yourself,” I say. “Slowly. Just like that.”

    She rubs circles on her clit, her hips rocking with her so slowly and sensually.

    “Now slide your fingers over your hole, sweetheart, before returning back to that clit. Damn, you’re so wet. And you look so damn beautiful, teasing your wet little cunt.”

    “Yes,” she whimpers.

    “One finger, Jules. And curl it.”

    She does as told. Her finger traces the outer edge of her slit before she plunges inside.

    “You feel that at the end? That’s your G-spot, sweetheart. Massage it.”

    Her breath ising faster now. “I’ve never felt that before.”

    “Mmm. Enjoy the sensation. That’s it. Palm your clit and rock up into it,” I encourage her. “Tell me how it feels.”

    “It’s … it’s so much,” she whispers. “I want you. I want you so bad.”

    “I know you do,” I mutter. My cock aches with need. “But don’t you daree, Jules.”

    Her head falls back as she moans softly, and she takes her time working herself. “Oh God,” she whimpers.

    “You want more, don’t you?” I ask.

    “Yes,” she admits.

    “Good. Add another finger for me. Show me how you fuck yourself when you think about me.”

    Her free hand grips the edge of the bed as she adds a second finger, her moans growing louder, more desperate.

    “I can’t keep going,” she says breathlessly. “I’m already too close.”

    “Not yet,” I tell her. “But let’s go to the very edge together.”

    Her body trembles with need. “Please,” she begs, her fingers working her cunt furiously. “Please, let mee.”

    “Patience is a virtue,” I say.

    “And what if I don’t listen?”

    “Then I’ll punish you,” I say.

    “Oh my God. Is this domination y at the same time?”

    I give her a simple nod.

    She squeals.

    “Try me, Jules. That pussy pulses, and I will refuse to see you for a week.”

    Sheughs. “Okay. I’ll be a good girl and follow the rules.”

    Her motions slow, but I notice how her mouth falls open and her breathing grows more ragged.

    “How does that feel?”

    “So damn good, but I wish it were you.”

    “You’re so beautiful,” I say, my cock twitching at the sight. “Now, taste yourself, sweetheart. Describe it to me.”

    Her cheeks flush crimson, but she does it, sliding her fingers between her lips. Her eyes lock on mine. I can hear the soft suck of her mouth, the way her tongue swirls around her fingers. Her red lips glisten with saliva.

    “Good girl,” I mutter. “Now bring those wet fingers back to your swollen little clit. Say hello.”

    “I want you to do this with me,” she says between pants.

    My hand slips under the waistband of my boxers to grip my cock. It’s hot and heavy in my palm, pre-cum already beading at the tip.

    I turn the screen around to show her. “Look what you do to me, Julie.”

    I rub my thumb across the tip, showing her what she desperately wants to see.

    “Proof that you’re under my skin.”

    “It’s mutual.” She bites her lip, circling her clit with teasing strokes. “After you left, I was thinking about how badly I want your cock inside me. How, tonight, I wanted you to fuck me so hard that I wouldn’t be able to walk at work tomorrow. I fantasize about you.”

    I stroke myself, my eyes locked on her. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

    “I want you to pin me down on the mattress.” She moans, her fingers slipping inside herself, moving in time with my hand, just how I taught her.

    She continues, “I want you to … spread my legs … and bury your face in my pussy until … I’m screaming. Then I want you to flip me over and take me from behind, spanking my ass until it’s red and raw.”

    “You think you can handle that?” I offer, my hips thrusting into my fist.

    “Yes.”

    She’s writhing now, her fingers moving faster, her pussy so wet that I can hear the sound. “Shit, I’m so, so close …”

    “Pull away,” I tell her. “Noing until I say.”

    She does slowly, carefully, like she’s afraid I’ll vanish if she doesn’t. “I’m throbbing for you.”

    “Show me,” I demand, and she does.

    “I need you.” Her breasts rise and fall.

    I’m still stroking myself, my balls tightening. “Back to your clit, babe.”

    She returns her hand, doing slow circles as desperate pants escape her. I can tell the orgasm is building because her entire body tenses.

    “Are you close?” I ask.

    “Are you?”

    “Yes,” I admit. “Can youe for me on the count of three?”

    She bites her bottom lip.

    “One.” I wait at least ten seconds. “Two.”

    “Please,” she whispers.

    I smirk like the devil. “Waiting for that next number, aren’t you?”

    She slows her pace, nearly straining as my orgasm builds like a storm at sea.

    Her back arches off the mattress. When I see she’s stranded on the very edge, I wait five more seconds, then speak.

    “Three,” I tell her.

    She groans out, and I can’t hold back my release any longer. The orgasm crashes over me, and I forget that I’m not alone as I moan out. Ropes of thick, hot cum spill all over my stomach. Her body convulses as she cries out. Her fingers stay buried deep inside her pussy. Watching here apart on-screen, hearing her moan my name, knowing she’s watching me do the same—it wrecks me. We’re desperate, needy, as the sexual frustration pours out through our phones.

    “Julie.” I groan, my vision blurring as I ride out the wave of pleasure.

    Her breathing is ragged, body still trembling as she looks at me. “That was …” A satisfied smile lingers on her face. “Incredible. Thanks for busting my phone-sex cherry. I want to do it again.”

    “Right now?”

    Sheughs. “Um … no. But that’s an option?”

    “Yes,” I say, chuckling. “I aim to satisfy even the greediest of girls.”

    “Oh my. You’d better stop, or I’ming over tonight.”

    “It’s toote for that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

    She gives me an adorable pouty face. “Do we have ns?”

    “No, but I have a fall bucket list item I want to check off, and I thought you’d be a good person to ask to join me.”

    “Oh, where?”

    “You’re so damn pretty,” I say, grinning. “The apple orchard.”

    “I love Coleman’s. I would love to join you.”

    “Do you have to work?” I ask.

    “Not tomorrow. It’s my day off.”

    “Great. I’ll pick you up around lunch. Let’s go on a pic.”

    “Aw, I’m excited,” she says, then tries to hold back a yawn. “Sorry.”

    “You should go to sleep, sweetheart.”

    “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

    “You don’t have to,” I say, cleaning myself. I walk to the dresser and pull out a pair of joggers. “I’ll be here until you drift off.”

    “Okay,” she tells me, turning onto her side, propping the phone up on a pillow.

    I climb into bed, imagining lying next to her, holding her, and smelling how pretty she is.

    Julie closes her eyes. “Tell me about your first love.”

    “Oh, wow, I haven’t thought about her in a very long time.” Iugh. “She was older than me by, like, two years. She was a senior when I was a sophomore. I yed varsity football, and she was in the band. A saxophone yer. She was the first person I ever felt love for, and when she broke up with me to go to college, I was devastated.”

    “Did she ever reach out to you again?” she asks.

    “Yeah, once I signed my contract with the Angels to y. But I’d already moved on,” I say. “Every rtionship I’ve ever been in has taught me something.”

    “What do you think this lesson will be?” she asks.

    “Not to give up.” The truth tumbles out of my mouth.

    “Yeah, that’s perfect.”

    I continue chatting about my hockey days and training, and she eventually falls asleep.

    I end the call, then lie in the dark, thinking about her, about us, about what we just did.

    We were vulnerable, open, entirely focused on each other.

    I think about Harper’s prediction and know I’m falling in love with Julie Lovnd.

    No, I’ve already fallen. I don’t need forty days to decide if I want more time with her, but she needs it. Being together would be a big step for both of us, but we’d figure it out. Whatever it took … I’d do it.

    Tomorrow at the apple orchard, we’ll be one day closer to decision time. We have time, even if the universe is cockblocking us.

    It will be just us, the autumn air, and the truth we’ve been dancing around since the moment we met.